Milk-bottle container.



WALTER sTRGEs, or Los OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MILK-BOTTLE CQNTAINER.

To all rwhom t may concern: v

Be it known that I, WALTER STURGES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Milk-Bottle Container, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to the distribution and retail sale' of milk, espef cially as carried on in glass bottles, or lsimilar containers. Milk is commonly distributed in glass bottles, `the lled bottles being delivered at the residence of the user at an early hour in the morning, empty bottles being taken away by the dairy, company at the same time.' As the cost. of the container, or bottle, is about equal to the cost of the milk delivered, it is quite important that the dairy company should receive an empty bottle in exchange for the full one, as they are commonly paid only for the milk delivered. The householder will,however, often forget to put out the empty bottles, or the empty bottles will bestolen before the dairyman arrives. The losses through non-return of empty bottles is a considerable item in the expense of any dairy company, Aand the' principal object of my invention is .to do away with this loss. y

There is also a considerable lossl ofmilk, due to the filled bottles being stolen, this being a comparatively easy matter in the city when the milk is left at the residence of the user long before the members of the household have arisen. A further object of my invention is to prevent such loss of milk and lled bottles. f Y

The fundamental'idea behind myV invention is toprovide means for 'securing the bottles so that a bottle can only be removed by the insertion of another. f That is to say', the only way a householder can lget the filled bottle of milk is by delivering to the device an empty bottle ,to takeits place,.andthe only way that the dairyman, or others, can remove the empty bottle is by the substitution of a filled bottle. This, I believe, to be a basic conception, the followingstruc- Specification of Letters Patent. y

rateatedsmay 22, 1917'.

Application filedl october 9, 1915." serial 1ra-55,07.

ture being described as one convenient means by which the'conception can be carried out.

' In 4the drawings which are for 'illustraf tive purposes only Figure 1 is a sectional plan showing the apparatus in its gripping position.

Fig. 2. is a view of he entrance end of the container showing the position ofpartsduring the insertion of a bottle. v

' F ig. 3 villustrates vthe-exit end Vof, the apparatus in its release position.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on 'a plane representedlby theline F-w't of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5v isv a partial section on a planerepvresented by aline :v5-'m5 of Fig. 1.

In the form of my .invention illustrated in these drawings a case 11 is provided, this case having an entrance opening 12, and an eXit opening 13, of sufficient size to allow a standard milk bottleor similar container, to be passed therethrough. Located at either endv of the case are s tiffening members .14 encircling the ends of the case.

Shelf members 15 preferably of angle iron s section are secured inside the case 11 to the stiffening members' 14, extending longitudinally of the case. Pivoted on screws 16 which are secured-to Ithe shelf members 15 are a pair of gripping levers 17, these levers having gripping 'fingers 18 formed on the opposite end .from the screws 16,1 the gripping fingers 18 being cut away as shown at 19 in such a shape as to inclose and grip a bottle, .such as that shown in dotted lines at 2O in Fig. 1. Springs 21 engage the flanges 22 of the shelf members 15, and engage pins 23 secured in the gripping members 17, guided by smallV strap members 24 which are also secured tothe shelf members'l. The v springs 21 are so formed and 'disposed- `that they tend to push thei grippingflevers 17 into their grippingpositionfas illustrated in Fig. 1.' Located on the upper side of the gripping lever 17 arefsmall rectangularv pins 2 5,

these pins being engagedin the locking po-A sition of vthe lever 17 by V catches 26, the catches 26`being'lguided by bolts' 27 `"secured to the :shelf member 15. The catches 26 are pivoted oii release'members 29,'the releaseV ivoted on pins secured membersV 29 being rigger members 31 are Yto the lever 17.

Vsecured at 32 to the gripping lever 17 being soy formed that they vdrop in behind and Y. catch on projections 33'formed on the mem-Y YVbers 29. Star wheels 40 are also pivoted on A' Fig. 1. Y Y Y n v 1 The method of operation of the invention the screws 16, being of such a size and so disposed that they will allow a milk bottle, or similar container, illustrated in dotted lines atf41, Vto pass therebetween; Ratchets 42,

engaged by pawls 43, actuated by springsY 44, preventA the stai' wheels 40 from turning in a directionv opposite to the arrows 45 of is asfollow's: A bottle or other Vsuitable container being'inserted through the entrance opening 12 passes between the star wheels 40, and between the gripping levers 17. The

` bottle lifts the members 31 and strikes Yagainst the projections 33 of the levers 29,-

throwing the catch 26 into the position illustrated in Fig. 3. The gripping levers 17 are then Vthrown in the position shown in Fig. 3,l the pins 25 passing into slots 50 formed in the catches 26. LThe Vbottle can then be moved forward into the position shown at 2O in Fig. 1, and the gripping lever 17 can be released, the springs 21'forcing the gripping levers into theposition shown in Fig.

l; This operation is only necessary upon first using the device, the subsequent operation being as follows: The bottle 20 is firmly gripped by the gripping levers 17 which are locked by the catches 26, these catches being held in their locked position by means of a spring 53 secured thereto, and secured at 54 Yto the anges 22'of the shelf 15. I/Vhen it is desired to remove the bottle 20, this bottle being either a lled or an emptyA one, the

. dairyman, or the householder inserts the sec- Y catchesy 26into the position illustrated inV fond bottle 41, which bottle passes through the star wheels 40, and is immediately locked as shown in Fig. 2 so that it can not be withdrawn. The bottle 41 is then passed forwardv lifting the members 31 which norlmally lock the release members 29, and immediately thereafter engaging the levers 17 pushingthem outwardly, and throwing the Y Y toprevent anyone from passinga bottle into the container a suliicient distance to release the last bottle andV thenl withdrawing the*Y first bottle. The shell 11 extends completely over the tops of both bottles so that the op,-

eration of the` deviceis masked' and the mechanism is partially protected against meddling persons. The top alsoprotects the tops of the Vbottles keeping Vdirt and dust from settling therein, andpreventing them from being tampered with by cats orjdogsYV in the neighborhood.V Y v Y Y I claim as my invention r-lr i 1 1. In a milk bottle container,'a case 'hav-Y ing-a central opening large enough to allow a milk bottle topass therethrough, Vgripping levers located on either side of said opening and so arranged that theyV will grip a milk bottle near the eXit'of said o1`)ening,"catchesl for locking said gripping levers in Vthe grip Y position, and means by which said catches are released by opening.

2. In a milk bottle container, a case having a central opening large enough to allow a milk bottle to pass therethrough, gripping levers located on either side of said openingA and so arranged that they will grip a milk bottle near the ezit of said opening, catches for locking said gripping levers in the grip position, means by which said catches are released by a second bottle entering said a second bottle entering said i opening, and means for preven'ting said secf ond bottle from being withdrawn from said opening.

3. In a milk bottle container, a casehav- Y ing a central opening large enough to allow-` a milk bottle to pass therethrough, gripping levers located on either side of said opening 10oYY and so arranged that they will grip a milk bottle near the eXit of said opening, catches for locking said gripping levers in the grip position, means by which said catches are released by a second bottle entering saidV opening, star wheels located on` either sideV of the entrance to said opening `and of such a size and shape that theyengage said second bottle as it enters saidY opening, and means for lockingA said star wheels so as to preventV a bottley from being withdrawntlirough the entrance to said opening. .Y

4. In a bottle holding andlocking device Y comprisinga casing having a bottlevslot therein, said slot being just wide' enough to allow the neck of a bottle to slide therethrough; a grip plate pivoted to saidV casing and so shaped and placed that it VwillV 'en-YV gage and restrain the neckof a bottle which is directed into engagement .with said'grip plate byrsaid slot; and means by whichv aVV second bottleY upon entering s aidslotwill.V` f cause said grip plateito release'said.. rst' f named bottle. Y A i 5.v Av bottle holdingY and locking device comprising arcasing having a bottlerslotY therein, said slot being just Wide enough grip plate to release said first named bottle, to allow the neck of a bottle to slide thereand means for preventing the Withdrawal 10 through; a grip plate pivoted to said casing of said second bottle from said slot.

and so shaped and placed that it will en- In testimonywhereof, I have hereunto set gage and restrain the neck of a bottle which my hand at Los Angeles, California, this is directed into engagement with said grip 2nd day of October, 1915.

plate by said slot; means by Which a second bottle upon entering said slot will cause said WALTER STURGES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner yof Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

